MY FIRST HARP GUITAR

I made this beast for the great Pierre Bensusan in1984. The silly bugger insisted on having 17 sub bass strings - ten too many!

And of course he couldn't play it. The most challenging part for me was the metalwork & there was loads of it, but in the end it all worked...

Pierre, being Pierre put it up for sale at about seven times what he paid for it!

After a few years with no takers he asked me to modify it down to nine sub basses. And then he panicked - he knew I would ask an honest price! 

Rumour has it he met a young mug luthier who agreed to do the job for the priviledge! Haven't heard the outcome?

Today you get an extra me - 20 years ago in Vimoutiers in Normandy - I had the luck to stay with a guy who was promoting the "Produits du terroir" - don't think I ever ate or drank so well!!!